Chelsea tie down Joao Pedro on long-term deal as number nine shirt awaits
Chelsea are set to renew striker Joao Pedro's contract until 2034 before the Premier League season begins, with sources at Stamford Bridge expecting the deal to go through, according to BBC Sport.
The Brazilian forward, who turned 24 this month, has agreed improved salary terms on a contract running until 2032 with an option for Chelsea to extend by a further two years, as Football Agencies reported on 19 August. BBC Sport's report the following day frames the renewal as running through to 2034, which aligns with the two-year extension option being exercised.
Joao Pedro only arrived at Chelsea last summer from Brighton in a deal worth an initial £55m, plus £5m in add-ons. He signed a seven-year contract at the time, as The Athletic reported. Less than a year later, the club are already moving to lock him down on better terms — a reflection of how quickly he has established himself as the focal point of the attack.
The numbers back that up. Joao Pedro became the first Chelsea striker since Diego Costa to score 20 goals in a single campaign without taking penalties — a measure of how reliably he found the net from open play. He added three goals during Chelsea's Club World Cup-winning run and has netted eight times in seven pre-season matches ahead of the new campaign.
He is likely to start Chelsea's Premier League opener at Fulham on Monday, and he will do so wearing the number nine shirt. Chelsea have handed him the iconic squad number, with Liam Delap relinquishing it. Delap is now available for transfer at around £50m, and Nottingham Forest and Leeds United are among the clubs interested, according to BBC Sport.
The contract business may not stop there. Chelsea intend to hand out new deals to further key players after the transfer window closes, with defender Levi Colwill and teenage winger Estevao Willian among those likely to be considered. Winger Geovany Quenda, who joined the club ahead of this season on a contract running until 2034, is already part of that longer-term picture, as Chelsea's official site confirmed in July.
For supporters, the message is straightforward. A striker who delivers 20-goal seasons without the luxury of penalty duty is rare, and Chelsea have moved to keep theirs at the club for what could be the best part of a decade. The number nine shirt is his. Now the season starts, and Fulham away is the first chance to see what he does with it.
